Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Blyde and Steelpoort Rivers of the Olifants River System, South Africa

Malakane

2020

IJERPH

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Benthic macroinvertebrates and sediments can act as good indicators of environmental quality. The aim of this study was to assess the accumulation of chemical elements in the Gomphidae (Odonata) collected in the Blyde River. Seven sites were sampled for river sediments assessment and five sites for larvae (naiads) of Gomphidae bioaccumulation analysis. The tissue samples were analysed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed high levels of all of the tested elements except Cd in the sediment. The mean concentrations of As, Cu and Cr exceeded the standard guideline values, whereas Pb and Zn were below the standard guideline values. In the insect body tissue, the concentrations of most elements were higher than in the sediments. The elements with the highest concentrations were Mn, Zn, Cu, and As. The bioaccumulation factor (BF) showed a tendency for bioaccumulation for almost all of the selected elements in the insect. The BF value was high for Cu, Mn, Sb, and Zn (BF > 1). The high concentrations of elements in the insect body tissue may pose a risk to fish that consume them, and subsequently to humans when fish from the river are consumed. It is therefore important to monitor the river to reduce pollution to prevent health risks in humans, especially in communities that rely on the river for water and food.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Assessment of Chemical Elements in Sediments and Larvae of Gomphidae (Odonata) from the Blyde River of the Olifants River System, South Africa

Malakane

2020

IJERPH

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“…The major sources of Ni contamination in the sediments are metal plating industries, combustion of fossil fuels, and Ni mining and electroplating (Khodadoust et al 2004). In this study, the high concentration recorded could be due to the chrome and platinum mining in the area (Addo-Bediako 2020). High concentration of Ni can cause renal, cardiovascular, reproductive and immunological effects in human (Addo et al 2012), and can cause cancer and respiratory complications (Oforka et al 2012).…”

Section: Trace Metals In the Sedimentmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…Contamination of trace metals in freshwater ecosystems has attracted global attention owing to its abundance, persistence and toxicity in the environment (Edokpayi et al 2016;Addo-Bediako 2020). When metals are present in higher concentration in an aquatic environment, they can easily be exchanged between the sediment and the water column (Varol and Sen 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of heavy metal pollution in the sediments of Dwars River, South Africa

Mmako

Kekana

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The Dwars River in Limpopo Province, South Africa is being affected by anthropogenic activities such as mining, agriculture and human settlement in its catchment. The objectives of the study were to assess trace metal pollution, to determine possible sources of pollutants in the river and the potential impact on the ecosystem, aquatic biota and humans. Water and sediment samples were collected and analyzed for the following selected metals: Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The enrichment factor (EF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) were used to determine the extent of trace metal pollution in the sediments. The concentrations of Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn in the Dwars River sediments were much higher than the average shale values, which indicated that the contamination of these metals might be caused by human activities. The enrichment factor (EF) results showed that Cr and Ni accumulated to severe enriched level, while the Igeo results indicated that Cr, Mn, Ni and Zn were strongly contaminated in the sediments. The main sources of pollutants in the area were mining, wastewater/sewage and agricultural discharges. This may pose a serious threat to the aquatic biota and potential human health risk. It is therefore recommended that proper management strategies should be taken to minimize the impact of these metals on the river.

“…The rapid economic growth and industrialization in many developing countries is causing pollution of freshwater bodies coupled with inadequate management practices requires an urgent attention. The effluents from various human activities in the catchment of rivers are causing deterioration of river systems (Jooste et al 2015, Jun et al 2016, Grizzetti et al 2017, Addo-Bediako 2020 and may have adverse effects on aquatic biota.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution patterns of benthic macroinvertebrate functional feeding groups in two rivers of the olifants river system, South Africa

Journal of Freshwater Ecology

2021

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Benthic macroinvertebrates play a vital role in ecosystem functioning, such as nutrient cycling, primary production, decomposition and material translocation. A study was done to determine the functional feeding groups (FFGs) distribution along two streams of the Olifants River System, South Africa. There were longitudinal differences of the functional groups but were more pronounced in the Dwars River than in the Spekboom River. Collector-gatherers and collector-filterers were the most abundant groups recorded in both rivers. The least abundant groups were the shredders and scrapers in both rivers. The highest abundance of shredders in both rivers was at upstream sites (DS1 and SS1), more scrapers were found at midstream sites (DS3 and SS2), collector-gatherers and collector-filterers increased in the downstream (SS4) of the Spekboom River and predators were nearly constant in relative abundance at all sites. The relative abundance and richness of the FFGs did not conform completely to the river continuum concept (RCC). This could be related to the degradation of the catchment resulting from human activities which affected the quality of the water.